Illinois state Treasurer Alexi Giannoulias (D) turned in his best fundraising quarter of the cycle so far, but he still raised about $1 million less than GOP opponent Mark Kirk in the Illinois Senate race.
Giannoulias's campaign just announced it raised $1.2 million in the first quarter in an e-mail to supporters. It's about twice what he raised last quarter, but it pales in comparison to Kirk's $2.2 million first quarter, which the congressman announced last week.
Kirk, who faced a less serious primary challenge, is also set to be in much better financial position for the general election, as he announced $3 million cash on hand. Giannoulias's campaign has not announced a cash on hand figure, but it was burning through serious cash to make it through a primary with former Chicago Inspector General David Hoffman in February, and it had less than $1 million on hand at the end of the year.
Giannoulias beat Hoffman 39-34. Since then, the Democratic nominee has dealt with a series of problems stemming from his family bank, which is on the brink of failure and, according to the Chicago Tribune, lent $20 million to a pair of convicted felons.
The late John Murtha's name is being thrown around in the Kansas Senate Republican primary.
Reps. Todd Tiahrt and Jerry Moran are currently battling over earmarks and Moran spokesman Dan Consto cited Murtha in an attack on Tiahrt
"It's interesting to see the very people running to replace Todd Tiahrt openly rebuking him and his signature issue: earmarks. As an appropriator, Todd Tiahrt has long championed some of the most egregious wasteful earmarks, including securing $400,000 for indoor tennis courts and voting against removing earmarks for Rep. John Murtha's 'airport for nobody,'" Conston told the Kansas City Star.
Tiahrt's camp fired back with a pointed reference to another famous earmark. "Did Moran also forget about the McPherson Opera House earmark he requested and, without the slightest hesitation, accepts credit for securing? Perhaps Jerry Moran is distorting the truth to keep people from looking at his record of raising taxes," the Tiahrt camp said.
California Republican Carly Fiorina may have to dip into her personal fortune to bolster her Senate campaign.
The former Hewlett-Packard CEO has pledged not to self-fund her bid to unseat Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.) but Fiorina pulled in only $1.7 million last quarter, according to a release. She currently has $2.8 million in the bank.
She narrowly out-raised her main primary opponent, Tom Campbell. The former congressman announced earlier he brought in $1.63 million last quarter.
Meanwhile, Boxer has raised $2.4 million since January -- her "strongest fundraising quarter yet," according to a release. The Democrat now has $8.7 million cash on hand, after banking $1.5 million of her first quarter haul.
Rep. John Boozman (R-Ark.) is up with his first TV of the Senate campaign, which focuses on his biography and doesn't take any shots at his GOP primary opponents. The four-term congressman is running in a crowded field for the GOP nod.
Announcer: "A Christian upbringing is a lifelong gift. John Boozman treasures that gift and shares it everyday. Taught to study hard and dream big, John Boozman earned a degree, played Razorback football and opened up a small town eye clinic, which became big time success. Family man, cattleman, congressman, John Boozman believes we can achieve any dream. John Boozman for Senate."
The spot is airing in Little Rock, Fort Smith and Northwest Arkansas media markets on cable and broadcast, according to the Boozman camp. The Strategy Group for Media, which is based in Ohio and Texas, produced the 30-second ad.
Florida Gov. Charlie Crist (R) blasted his primary opponent in an aggressive new TV spot.
The 30-second ad links Marco Rubio with indicted former state Rep. Ray Sansom (R). It calls them two "career politicians both known for preposterous deal making."
The closing lines hint at more to come. "Marco Rubio, it's not just what we know, it's what we don't know. Yet."
An official in the Rubio camp said they're planning a quick response.
Former Rep. Rob Portman (R-Ohio) and Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.) will report large first quarter hauls.
Portman raised $2.35 million in the last three months, mainly from in-state donors, his campaign confirmed to the Ballot Box Monday. The first quarter total brings his cash on hand to $7.6 million.
Democrats Jennifer Brunner and Lee Fisher have yet to release their numbers. Both have trailed Portman in fundraising and will surely have a higher burn rate than the Republican ahead of their May 4 primary.
In California, Boxer has raised $2.4 million since January – her "strongest fundraising quarter yet," according to a release. Boxer now has $8.7 million cash on hand, after banking $1.5 million of her first quarter haul.
Former Rep. Tom Campbell (Calif.) is the only Republican vying to face Boxer who has released his numbers. He raised $1.63 million for his Senate campaign last quarter.
A profile of Rep. Joe Sestak (D-Pa.) in the Philadelphia Inquirer offers a glimpse as to why former Republican Sen. Arlen Specter (D-Pa.) has become the favorite of Washington Democrats.
The House Democratic Caucus "is the most undemocratic place there is," Sestak told the paper. "There are times I can't find out what's going on, and that doesn't bode well for transparency for the public."
Sestak's intensity propelled his rise in the Navy and may also have contributed to his career's end.
Shipmates remember him as a demanding boss, a micromanager who demanded precision. That meant drill after drill, with Sestak eating his meals on the tactical deck and badgering his junior officers with questions and demands for backup research.
"Joe never did the minimum requirement - he always wanted to go above and beyond," said Glen Cain, a petty officer under Sestak on the USS Samuel B. Roberts. "Overachieving doesn't sit well with a lot of people, but his attitude was that it's not good enough to get across the finish line, you've got to sprint across it. He used to say, 'There are a lot of ways to die out there, so let's make sure we're as good as we can be.' "
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In 2001, as a two-star admiral, he was assigned by his mentor Adm. Vern Clark, the top officer in the Navy at the time, to revamp the Navy for the future. Clark and Sestak believed in a more nimble, sleeker Navy to fight terrorism. Sestak scoured the budgets and proposed deep cuts to the fleet, using computer technology to link fewer ships more effectively.
The plans struck fear around the E-Ring, where Sestak was also earning a reputation for driving his 100-member planning staff hard. He would show up sometimes at 4 a.m. and stay until 9 or 10 p.m. He was infamous for calling staff meetings at 9 p.m. on Friday and demanding that everyone return by 10 a.m. Saturday.
Meanwhile, Sestak debated former Rep. Pat Toomey (R-Pa.) Sunday in Philadelphia, but the two largely avoided blasting Specter, who was absent.
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